Parents of accused Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley denied lower bond

The parents of accused Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley were denied a motion to reduce their $500,000 bonds by a judge Tuesday.

James and Jennifer Crumbley are facing involuntary manslaughter charges for allegedly buying the 9mm gun their 15-year-old son is accused of using to shoot dead four students at Oxford High School last year.

The couple requested earlier this month that each of their bonds be lowered to $100,000. But Oakland County Circuit Judge Cheryl Matthews ruled against the motion, finding the pair had tried to conceal their whereabouts from authorities before they were nabbed.

“The defendants indicate they were devastated when they heard about the alleged actions of their son, felt unsafe in their home, felt hounded by the press and found it necessary to leave,” Matthews said in the ruling.

However, “the chronology of events that occurred subsequent to the defendants leaving their home is not consistent with cooperation with law enforcement,” she wrote.

The judge added: “The defendants actions were premeditated to conceal their whereabouts.”

The Crumbleys have been in custody since they were arrested in a commercial building in Detroit on Dec. 4 — a day after they vanished after being charged in connection to the shooting.

The couple, who have pleaded not guilty, are accused of buying the handgun and leaving it unsecured in their home.

They are also accused of failing to reasonably care for their son when he showed signs of mental distress in the lead up to the deadly shooting.

Attorneys for the parents indicated they would appeal the judge’s bond ruling.

“The Crumbleys were absolutely shocked parents who had no reason to foresee what would happen,” defense attorneys Shannon Smith and Mariell Lehman wrote in an earlier court filing.

Prosecutor Karen McDonald dismissed that claim following Tuesday’s hearing, saying: “Turning yourself in is always the best route. You can’t try to run from being prosecuted and claim you were always going to return to a court date.”

The Crumbleys’ son, Ethan, is charged with murder and other crimes associated with the Nov. 30 shooting at his high school.

With Post wires